Strategy Analytics: Huawei is now the third largest smartphone maker

Huawei has killed it in the third quarter of this year, with shipments securing it the third position, behind Samsung and Apple.

According to Strategy Analytics, the Chinese vendor shipped 12.7 million smartphones globally in Q3 2013, representing a 67% increase on the same period in 2012 while giving the company a 5% market share. Huawei’s most popular smartphones were the P6 and G610.

However, the research firm cautions Huawei position is “less robust” in the US and Europe, adding that if it wants to bridge the gap to Samsung and Apple in 2014 – the company will need to build its presence in both markets.

Strategy Analytics found that a record 251 million smartphones were sold in Q3, marking the first time when more than a quarter of a billion smartphones have been sold in a single quarter.

Samsung’s shipments grew 55% annually to 88.4 million units in Q3, 2013, a figure that is more than two times the size of nearest rival Apple’s shipments. Apple, however, is set for a rebound in Q4 2013 due to high demand for its iPhone 5s.